


Byleth is Trying

by MercurialArchivist



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, and has a knack for knowing the best way, and some people just want to be happy, byleth just wants to help people, not all of this will be dramatic, not sure what the pairings are yet, remember that you can't save everyone, remember that you have to try, some of it is just asking and answering, which is to keep them near
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22933444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MercurialArchivist/pseuds/MercurialArchivist
Summary: Byleth wants nothing more than safety for people she cares about, even if they don't know she cares, and she'll stand over them, antlers at the ready.
Kudos: 9





	1. Byleth Tries for Linhardt

**Author's Note:**

> Gonna be a little bit of a series. Recruiting people. Fun times.

Byleth signs up to teach the Golden Deer house with a bit of trepedation, and she's pretty sure Claude knows about that. Claude, in fact, seems to know everything, or close enough, at least about what's going on at Garreg Mach. Byleth may not emote too well, but she's been around enough different kinds of people and seen enough to know a schemer, even a well meaning one, when she sees one. It's a while before she leaves her food unguarded near him, for fear of some kind of mild poison that will see her hidden for hours with a stomach cramp.

Originally, she was going to sign up to teach the Black Eagles (Edelgard was so pretty, after all, and maybe she could get closer to her) but stopped before she said it. A bad feeling, but not a gut feeling like she's used to trust. No, this one was in her heart, and it felt like gold gilding her armor and her sword. She trusts the feeling, and requests to teach the Golden Deer.

____

It's not long before she starts poaching other students. She goes for Linhardt first (or first after Sylvain, anyways, who volunteered when he overheard her mention wanting one more person to take with her), not long after his first kill. She knows that look, and though it was a successful battle, Edelgard having led them well, and no one was too badly injured, Linhardt is suffering.

She finds him wandering the grounds at a time he would normally be asleep. His laziness is legendary, at least somewhat, enough that even Byleth has heard about it from both teachers and students. She's on her way back to her dorm from watching Dimitri go through forms with his lance (she's always favored the sword, but something about the lance feels right to her. she's a Golden Deer, now, and that means change) when she catches him, walking as if in a dream.

She says nothing, simply joining him in his walk, keeping him company, and eventually he turns and says, "I killed a man today." His voice is flat, but it's the flatness some something pulled straight under tension. She nods, simply, and stands in front of him.

"I'm sorry."

He looks back at her for a long moment, looking like he's fighting back something, and takes a deep breath. Lets it out.

Pause.

He takes another breath, "I... Don't know that he needed to be killed. He wasn't threatening me, but... She said to kill him, so I did, but... After..." He trails off.

"It's almost too easy, isn't it? Taking a life. Feels like it should be harder." Her tone is, as ever, flat.

"I... Don't want to do that. Kill someone that doesn't even know I'm there. A fair fight, maybe, but... I don't care that it's the smarter move, I can't do that again."

It's an impulse, again, not a gut feeling, but one in her heart, and a warm feeling at that. "Join the Golden Deer. I can't promise you won't have to kill again, but I can promise that I'll always have a reason you'll understand."

He pauses for a long moment and lets out a broken chuckle. "I suppose that's the best I can ask for."

The papers are signed first thing in the morning, and Linhardt is the first Eagle standing on the ground. It's not long before he discovers Lysithea and begins annoying her.

Byleth, in a rare moment of humor, makes a mental note to pair them up whenever possible. Lysithea is altogether too serious, and so is Linhardt in his own way, but they ease up a little when they're together. Of course it's a different kind of insanity after that, but altogether a much more entertaining kind.


	2. Byleth Tries for Ingrid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ingrid joins the Deer, and she brings a lance.

Byleth is never completely sure whether she recruited Ingrid deliberately or not. She thinks it was deliberate, or at least that she thought about it, but it's only after the fact.

It's after class and Byleth makes her way to the training grounds, as she usually does. She's handy with a sword, but there are so many who are, and she's trying to learn new things. Claude has been helping her with the bow, just some pointers here and there. She hasn't found anyone to help her with the lance, though. Of her house, only Lorenz and Leonie really use it, and both of those are problems for different reasons. She thought of asking Sylvain, but she's seen how he treats the women in his life, even the ones he actually likes, and doesn't want to be any closer than she is.

So, she goes alone, and on the way hears someone striking something. The yells carry farther than normal, and so her interest is piqued.

It's not long before she can see Ingrid, hammering away at a training dummy. Her hair is tied back more rigidly than normal, and the swinging of the lance whistles through the air.

It's with none of her normal grace that Byleth had admired in previous sessions, watching her thrust and swing and sweep the weapon in... Not a dance. Not Ingrid. But the grace and fluidity could make someone less familiar with weapons and war than Byleth think maybe it was, but there's too much purpose, too much intent in each strike.

Today, though, she's simply hammering away at the dummy, more like Dimitri in her handling of the weapon. Byleth half expects it to shatter in her hands.

"Ingrid!" Byleth call out to her and Ingrid, unhurriedly, strikes one last time with a yell that rocks Byleth back for a moment.

"Yes, Professor?" Calm, if a little out of breath. Byleth pauses for a moment. She's not sure what to say now.

"Can you teach me?"

Ingrid blinks, taken aback. "Why me? You've already got Lorenz."

"No."

"...Leonie?"

"Uncomfortable with that."

"Well, you stole Sylvain, why not ask him?"

Byleth responds with a full body shudder as an answer, and Ingrid laughs, wiping some sweat from her forehead. "I suppose I could give you some pointers... Why do you want to, though? You already have a sword, and you're one of the best at it here."

"I... Wanted a change. Something different. And like Claude told me, it never hurts to have more options."

Ingrid smiles wider at that, considering the words. "Alright, deal, as long as you teach me some of those sword skills." Byleth agrees easily, and the deal is struck.

____

It's a couple months of training in between all her other responsibilities when Byleth asks her to join. Ingrid is in the middle of a swing, and the question takes her more off guard than Byleth blocking and countering, knocking her one her ass.

"I... Why?" Ingrid looks puzzled as Byleth gives her a hand to help her back to her feet.

"I think you'd be happy there," is the only response she gets before they reset and continue practice. Byleth leaves training with sore fingers and a couple new tricks.

It's three more days before Ingrid comes to the Golden Deer classroom, a bundle of papers in hand only requiring one more signature. Byleth signs carefully and welcomes her to the class. There's a small cheer, the Deer always gad to add more to their number, and Claude declares a party as soon as he can steal or bargain for the needed supplies.


End file.
